# The Ark and the Aardvark
**The Ark and the Aardvark** is an American animated adventure comedy film directed by John Stevenson that reinterprets the story of [Noah's Ark](https://www.edgepedia.org/noahs-ark) from the animals' perspective, following an outcast aardvark named Gilbert who must lead a group of misfit animals to the ark before the impending flood.[1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html) • [2](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/miles-teller-voice-aardvark-animated-934642/) The film is in production at Unified Pictures, with the animation studio ReDefine Animation, part of the London-based DNEG Group, attached as a finishing partner.[1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html) • [3](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/unified-pictures-the-ark-and-the-aardvark-1235978576/) [Miles Teller](https://www.edgepedia.org/miles-teller) was announced in the lead role in 2016.[4](https://variety.com/2016/film/news/miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-1201876259/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premise | Outcast aardvark Gilbert becomes the reluctant leader of a ragtag group of misfit animals that must reach the ark before the impending flood[1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html) |
| Director | John Stevenson, co-director of the Oscar-nominated *Kung Fu Panda* and director of *Sherlock Gnomes*[5](https://www.animationmagazine.net/page/163/?OaNaECxBL4Hn=cUKl2HmR8Yj&attachment_id=tdwkbasnmgmkdoing_wp_cron%3D1459836578.6013500690460205078125) |
| Voice cast | Miles Teller (Gilbert), Aubrey Plaza (Brain the Spider), Jenny Slate (Mitzi the narcoleptic ostrich), Craig Robinson (the Bullfrog), Rob Riggle (an elephant), Stephen Merchant (a crocodile)[1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html) • [6](https://variety.com/2017/film/news/aubrey-plaza-jenny-slate-miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-animated-movie-1202559477/) |
| Producers | Keith Kjarval and Kurt Rauer for Unified Pictures; ReDefine Animation (DNEG Group) as finishing partner[4](https://variety.com/2016/film/news/miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-1201876259/) • [3](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/unified-pictures-the-ark-and-the-aardvark-1235978576/) |
| Writers | Richie Chavez, Glen Dolman, Christopher Jenkins, Philip LaZebnik, and Larry Leker[1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html) |
| Development span | About four and a half years of development by 2017; production kickoff with ReDefine announced years after the 2017 cast reveal[7](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-ark-and-the-aardvark-sails-at-cannes-film-festival-300462265.html) • [5](https://www.animationmagazine.net/page/163/?OaNaECxBL4Hn=cUKl2HmR8Yj&attachment_id=tdwkbasnmgmkdoing_wp_cron%3D1459836578.6013500690460205078125) |
| Release status | No confirmed date; databases conflict between 2025 (MUBI) and April 30, 2026 (AllMovie)[8](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/the-ark-and-the-aardvark) • [9](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-ark-and-the-aardvark-am211896) |
## Premise and source material
The film retells the story of Noah's Ark from the animals' point of view.[5](https://www.animationmagazine.net/page/163/?OaNaECxBL4Hn=cUKl2HmR8Yj&attachment_id=tdwkbasnmgmkdoing_wp_cron%3D1459836578.6013500690460205078125) In this reimagining, Gilbert the aardvark leads a group of misfit animals through natural disasters and personal anxieties as they make their way to the ark.[2](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/miles-teller-voice-aardvark-animated-934642/) The official synopsis states that Gilbert discovers the strength and ingenuity to prove that "in a world of twos, he was truly destined to be the one," a line that plays on the animals boarding the ark in pairs.[1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html) MUBI's synopsis puts the premise more plainly: "An aardvark named Gilbert lands the job of shepherding all the animals onto Noah's Ark."[8](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/the-ark-and-the-aardvark)
The character roster announced in 2017 includes a narcoleptic ostrich, a "mansplaining" bullfrog, and a spider named Brain, and Stevenson described the lead as "young, spirited, sarcastic."[6](https://variety.com/2017/film/news/aubrey-plaza-jenny-slate-miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-animated-movie-1202559477/) • [4](https://variety.com/2016/film/news/miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-1201876259/)
## Production
**Studios and personnel.** The film is produced by Unified Pictures, whose head Keith Kjarval wrote the movie's original story; Kjarval and Kurt Rauer produce, and the Hollywood Reporter describes the project as personal for Kjarval.[2](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/miles-teller-voice-aardvark-animated-934642/) • [3](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/unified-pictures-the-ark-and-the-aardvark-1235978576/) ReDefine Animation, part of the DNEG Group, works as a finishing company alongside Unified's Los Angeles-based animation team.[3](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/unified-pictures-the-ark-and-the-aardvark-1235978576/) ReDefine's prior credits include *Nimona*, which earned an Academy Award nomination for best animated feature.[3](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/unified-pictures-the-ark-and-the-aardvark-1235978576/)
**Director and writers.** John Stevenson co-directed the Oscar-nominated first *[Kung Fu Panda](https://www.edgepedia.org/kung-fu-panda-film)* film and later directed *[Sherlock Gnomes](https://www.edgepedia.org/sherlock-gnomes)* and the BAFTA-nominated short *Middle Watch*.[5](https://www.animationmagazine.net/page/163/?OaNaECxBL4Hn=cUKl2HmR8Yj&attachment_id=tdwkbasnmgmkdoing_wp_cron%3D1459836578.6013500690460205078125) The credited writers are Richie Chavez, Glen Dolman, Christopher Jenkins, Philip LaZebnik, and Larry Leker.[1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html)
## Voice cast and characters
Miles Teller was announced as the voice of Gilbert in 2016.[4](https://variety.com/2016/film/news/miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-1201876259/) In 2017, [Aubrey Plaza](https://www.edgepedia.org/aubrey-plaza) joined as Brain the Spider, Jenny Slate as Mitzi the narcoleptic ostrich, Craig Robinson as the mansplaining bullfrog, [Rob Riggle](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-riggle) as an elephant, and [Stephen Merchant](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-merchant) as a crocodile.[6](https://variety.com/2017/film/news/aubrey-plaza-jenny-slate-miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-animated-movie-1202559477/) Animation Magazine later gave the elephant's name as "The Todd," the bullfrog as Clyde, and the crocodile as the wise old Croc.[5](https://www.animationmagazine.net/page/163/?OaNaECxBL4Hn=cUKl2HmR8Yj&attachment_id=tdwkbasnmgmkdoing_wp_cron%3D1459836578.6013500690460205078125)
## Development history
The project has moved through several phases over roughly a decade.
- **2016:** Variety reported Teller's casting as Gilbert, with the film described as in production at Unified Pictures.[4](https://variety.com/2016/film/news/miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-1201876259/)
- **May 2017:** At a press conference at the 70th Cannes Film Festival, the Chinese investor I Do Culture Corporation introduced the film as a Sino-US co-production scheduled for release in the summer of 2018; Stevenson had by then spent four and a half years developing it.[7](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-ark-and-the-aardvark-sails-at-cannes-film-festival-300462265.html) I Do Culture held full authority over investment, financing, production, distribution, marketing, and character-merchandising rights in greater China.[7](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-ark-and-the-aardvark-sails-at-cannes-film-festival-300462265.html)
- **2017:** The expanded voice cast was announced, with WME Global representing the film's distribution rights.[6](https://variety.com/2017/film/news/aubrey-plaza-jenny-slate-miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-animated-movie-1202559477/)
- **Later:** Production kicked off with newly announced partner ReDefine Animation, several years after the 2017 cast announcement.[5](https://www.animationmagazine.net/page/163/?OaNaECxBL4Hn=cUKl2HmR8Yj&attachment_id=tdwkbasnmgmkdoing_wp_cron%3D1459836578.6013500690460205078125)
## Release and distribution
No distributor of record has been announced; the only documented sales arrangement is WME Global's representation of distribution rights at the time of the 2017 cast announcement.[6](https://variety.com/2017/film/news/aubrey-plaza-jenny-slate-miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-animated-movie-1202559477/) Databases disagree on the release year: MUBI lists the film under 2025 with no specific date, while AllMovie lists a U.S. release date of April 30, 2026, with a 118-minute runtime.[8](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/the-ark-and-the-aardvark) • [9](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-ark-and-the-aardvark-am211896) The official studio page and the community-edited TMDB both list the film as in production, which sits uneasily with the database release datings.[1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html) • [10](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/423968-the-ark-and-the-aardvark?language=en-US) TMDB carries a budget figure of $35,000,000, but this comes from a community-edited database and has no studio or trade confirmation.[10](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/423968-the-ark-and-the-aardvark?language=en-US)
## Recent developments
A reported production development was the partnership with ReDefine Animation, part of the DNEG Group, which kicked off production years after the 2017 cast announcement.[5](https://www.animationmagazine.net/page/163/?OaNaECxBL4Hn=cUKl2HmR8Yj&attachment_id=tdwkbasnmgmkdoing_wp_cron%3D1459836578.6013500690460205078125) DNEG, ReDefine's parent, received $200 million in funding from the [Abu Dhabi](https://www.edgepedia.org/abu-dhabi)-based United Al Saqer Group for intellectual property development, a new Abu Dhabi production studio, and a new AI technology arm.[3](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/unified-pictures-the-ark-and-the-aardvark-1235978576/) Release listings on MUBI (2025) and AllMovie (April 30, 2026) have appeared, but the studio page still lists the film as in production and no distributor has been named.[8](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/the-ark-and-the-aardvark) • [9](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-ark-and-the-aardvark-am211896) • [1](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html)
## References
1. [The Ark & The Aardvark, Unified Pictures (official site)](https://unifiedpictures.com/taata.html)
2. [Miles Teller to Voice Aardvark in Animated Movie 'The Ark and the Aardvark', The Hollywood Reporter (2016)](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/miles-teller-voice-aardvark-animated-934642/)
3. [Unified Pictures Joins 'The Ark and the Aardvark', The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/unified-pictures-the-ark-and-the-aardvark-1235978576/)
4. [Miles Teller to Star in Animated Movie 'Ark and the Aardvark', Variety (2016)](https://variety.com/2016/film/news/miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-1201876259/)
5. [Animation Magazine production report on The Ark and the Aardvark](https://www.animationmagazine.net/page/163/?OaNaECxBL4Hn=cUKl2HmR8Yj&attachment_id=tdwkbasnmgmkdoing_wp_cron%3D1459836578.6013500690460205078125)
6. [Aubrey Plaza, Jenny Slate Join Miles Teller's 'Ark and the Aardvark', Variety (2017)](https://variety.com/2017/film/news/aubrey-plaza-jenny-slate-miles-teller-ark-and-the-aardvark-animated-movie-1202559477/)
7. ['The Ark and the Aardvark' sails at Cannes Film Festival, PR Newswire (May 2017)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-ark-and-the-aardvark-sails-at-cannes-film-festival-300462265.html)
8. [The Ark and the Aardvark, MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/the-ark-and-the-aardvark)
9. [The Ark and the Aardvark (2026), AllMovie](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-ark-and-the-aardvark-am211896)
10. [The Ark and the Aardvark, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/423968-the-ark-and-the-aardvark?language=en-US)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated films by source material and subject › Films based on folklore and religion*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license